SAN DIEGO – The Aztec women's basketball team (4-7, 2-3) rallied to knock off Utah State (4-5, 2-2) 68-60 Thursday evening inside Viejas Arena. SDSU trailed nearly the entire game, but Mercedes Staples and Flo Vinerte scored 20 of SDSU's 23 fourth quarter points to help the Aztecs complete the comeback.
Staples finished with a career-high 24 points while collecting 10 rebounds. Vinerte also had a career-high with 10 points, eight of those came in the final quarter. The Aztecs also got key contributions from Kim Villalobos (10 points, eight rebounds), Téa Adams (seven points, six assists) and Kamaria Gipson (six points, eight rebounds).
Adams scored the game's first two points and then Utah State scored the next 12. The Aggies would hold a lead until midway through the fourth quarter.
SDSU began the second quarter on a 6-0 run to pull within a point only to see the Aggies respond with a 9-0 run to push their lead back to double-digits. This happened again in the third quarter when Utah State followed a SDSU 7-9 run with a 6-0 run.
However, in the fourth quarter the Aztecs finally grabbed the lead, fueled by some big minutes from Vinerte off the bench. After hitting a buzzer-beater at the end of the third quarter, she scored eight more points in the first five minutes of the fourth.
Utah State's Shyla Latone finished with 30 points with six made three-pointers, accounting for all of the Aggies' threes.
STAT OF THE GAME
The Aztecs had a season-high 16 assists.
THE NOTE I
This was the Aztecs' largest comeback win (10 points) of the season.
THE NOTE II
This was SDSU's fourth straight game committing 10 or less turnovers.
Staples leads Aztecs to 68-60 Win over Utah State
